Scott Mason

Tue 5 May 2026 12:40, UK Updated Tue 5 May 2026 16:00, UK

Aston Villa trail 1-0 in their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest, but Unai Emery may be quite confident about his chances.

A Chris Wood penalty is all that sets both sides apart as things stand, with this competition clearly the priority for both the Tricky Trees and Villans.

The two sides featured much-changed starting lineups over the recent Premier League matchweek, but it was Forest who came out on top.

Vitor Pereira’s changes brought about a 3-1 win against Chelsea, while Aston Villa slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.

However, ahead of Aston Villa’s second leg against Nottingham Forest, it may actually be Emery with the advantage despite the 1-0 deficit.

What is Unai Emery’s record in the Europa League when behind in the first leg?

Going into the second leg against Nottingham Forest 1-0 down is not an ideal situation to be in, but Emery will be confident in his own abilities to turn things around.

The Spaniard is a Europa League specialist, having a 65 per cent win rate throughout the competition in his whole career.

He has won 70 matches, drawn 22 and lost just 15. It is a remarkable record and in a tournament he does not often lose in.

However, what is more impressive is his statistics when heading into a game with adversity to overcome. During his games managing in the Europa League, Emery has headed into a second leg of a knockout tie on the losing side five times.

And on four of those occasions, he has managed to come out the other side with a win.

This provides him with an 80 per cent win rate when trailing going into the second leg, a rate that many managers would not be able to match.

Villa Park can be difference maker

Against Tottenham, the Villa Park crowd was deflated by a performance that simply was not good enough. Emery’s rotation did not work, and the display was tedious.

Many in the crowd struggled to get an atmosphere going, but with a big European night on the horizon and Emery picking his strongest possible side, it could be enough to spur the Villans on.

When Aston Villa narrowly missed out on beating PSG in the Champions League last season, it was the crown who had helped the B6 outfit get themselves back into the game.

With Villa one game away from a European final and in a competition Emery has plenty of experience in, there is plenty for the crowd to cheer for, but the players must also do their bit.

Morgan Rogers has been in poor form for Aston Villa, and a turnaround this Thursday would be a timely boost.